Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1887-06-25

growing red in the east. A light mist
foatcd among the tops of the sycamore
trees on the flats.
Suddenly the men stopped.
Right before them on tho road Law a
man. His clothes were soaked by the
rain, which had fallen in terrcnts. and
his white collar and cuffs were soiIed
with mud. His head was covered with
mud and blood, and an ugly cash in his
throat showed how he had died.
One of them at once started for the
t. WI to notify the authorities.
The coroner came and took charge of
the body, and men were set at work to
try and discover the murderer.
Inquiry at the brewery brought out
the fact that a strange man had been
seen there late the previous afternoon,
and an old negro testified to having seen
him going up the canon. A conductor
on one of the cars said that man
answering the description given by the
men at the brewery and the old negro
hal ridden on his car. A grocer's man
who happened to be driving by had seen
this man and identified him as Loften.
When the officers came to his house
Loften was writing, and upon being told
that he was wanted went at once, think
ing there was some mistake which could
be easily explained, and it was not until
brought before the magistrate that he
learned that he was charged with mur
der.
He told his story, as we have already
done above, and pleaded his innocence,
but the evidence against him seemed
too strong, and he was sent to prison to
await trial.
No one else had seen the two tramps,
nor could any traces of them be found.
Loften lay awake all night in his cell.
He knew that he was innocent, but how
was he to prove it2 He had always had
stainless reputation, and now he was
in prison accused of murderl He
thought of the grief and shame it would
cause to his friends. Then he broke
down and cried like child.
After that he remembered nothing.
When the jailcr came with his break
fast he found him staring at the blank
wall of his cell. He spoke to him, but
| the prisoner did not move. Loften
was mad.
He was committed to an insane asylum,
but the judge made stipulation that If he
should ever recover his reason he should
be tried for murder
For seven years Charles Loften was in
the asylum. lie ate and slept and was
taken out to walk by nurse with some
of the other patients, but he never spoke
and he never appeared to notice any
one or y.hing.
At the end of seven years his reason
suddenly. returned. Everything was
clear up to the night of his imprison-
ment, but of the time he had spent in
the asylum he remembered nothing.
The court was notified that he had re-
covered his reason, and time was set
for his trial.
On the night before Charles Loften's
trial a robbery was attempted in neigh
boring town.
Between one and two in the morning
the owner of handsome place on the
outskirts of the town was awakened and
thought he heard some one moving in
the house. He got up and went to his
door and found that some one was NOV
ing about in the library.
The house was lighted by electricity,
and by pressing button at the head Of
the stairs the light could be turned or
all over the first floor.
This he did, and in an instant every
room was lighted.
Two men who had been cropping abou
in the darkness were at first blinded and
stupefed by the bright light coming 9;
suddenly, then they came to their sense
and ran, and as the proprietor hurried
down stairs he saw them running through
the house and escaping by side door.
As the men crossed the yard the nigh
watchman saw them and fired his pistol
The foremost man fell, but the othe
made good his escape.
On the first day of Loften's trial jur
had been selected, few witnesses hat
been called and the court had ad journed
On the second day of the trial
Just as the third witness was about !,
take the stand, a note was handed t
the Judge.
Il stated that, on examining tn
, wounds of the burglar who had bee
shot in the neighboring town two night